


11:11

by hybridempress



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Depression, Friendship/Love, Memory Loss, Other, Vent Writing, more than friends less than lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-22
Updated: 2016-05-10
Packaged: 2018-05-22 16:51:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6087316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hybridempress/pseuds/hybridempress
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On November 11th, at 11:11 PM, Francis Bonnefoy makes a wish to fade from existence and take all memories of himself with him. Over the course of a year, Francis' wish very slowly comes true.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The First November

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so sorry for having not posted anything or updated any of my other series in so long, everyone. I promise that I have not given up on them, I've just been in a really rough spot these past couple of months and I'm trying to get back on track again. This fic is a vent fic in which Francis' feelings mirror my own in quite a few different ways. I hope you all enjoy this. It's the first thing that I've been able to write in a long time and I'm quite proud of it.

_Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick._

Somehow, through all the other noise that reverberated throughout that blasted meeting hall, the ticking of that little wall clock could be heard perfectly in Francis’ ears. Maybe it was because he was trying to focus on anything but the booming voices of the other Personifications that surrounded him. Maybe it was because he was trying to zero in on one thing and get rid of everything else. But _God,_ that clock was so fucking _annoying._

The yelling wasn’t any better. Cascading voices fighting against each other in rhapsodies of anger and discontent. People were going hoarse even as they spoke as they tried to keep their voices an octave higher than the rest. 

It wasn’t as though this was anything new for Francis. This was how every meeting went. Every month one-hundred and ninety-eight country Personifications gathered together in a meeting hall for two days to try and sort out their political and diplomatic woes with one another. The problem with this system was that when you had so many varying cultures, ethnicities, languages, and governments all brought together in a tiny room to spend two days together trying to solve problems while unmediated, things tended to get a little out of hand. 

Francis wasn’t really sure why it was bothering him so much more today than it usually did. Then again, _everything_ had been bothering Francis so much more lately than it usually had. Everything was grating on him and rubbing him the wrong way. 

He had started to feel like everything was pointless. More and more he found himself feeling like he wasn’t really meant to be here. He didn’t _want_ to be here. It’s hard to keep a positive outlook on life when you’re the immortal Personification of a landmass who is just a little too human for your own good.

Francis could feel his temple throbbing as even the ticking of the clock was flushed out by the thunderous voices of his peers. His fingers twitched against the table as his hands lay in rest on top of it. This nonsense had been going on for just a _little_ too long. 

“That’s enough!” Francis shouted, standing up from his chair and pounding his fists down on the table. 

All at once the voices stopped. Francis hadn’t said a word since the meeting began but now he was snapping at everyone in the room. He looked livid. Everyone else was confused.

“No one in this room can go five goddamn fucking minutes without yelling at each other! No one can ever agree on anything no one even wants to try! All of you are caught up in your own goddamn worlds and you don’t give a fuck about what anyone else has to say! Maybe if you would all pull your heads out of your asses for five goddamn minutes we could actually get some work done at these stupid meetings, but not one of you wants to admit when you are wrong and not one of you wants to try to compromise!”

Francis’ body shook as he spoke. The Personifications around him flinched as his furious voice vibrated through the air and echoed off the walls of the otherwise silent meeting hall. Even people such as Ludwig and Lovino began to look guilty as Francis yelled at them. 

“This has gone on for quite long enough,” Francis hissed, his voice dropping lower, though it was still loud enough for the others to hear. “I’m not going to put up with this anymore. I’m not going to sit here and listen to all of you tear each other apart while we continue to keep all of our problems unsolved. If you want to keep fighting with each other, you can do it without me.” 

That was the last thing Francis said before pushing his chair away from the table and walking away brusquely. No one else said a word as they watched Francis walk across the hall, towards the double-doors that led out of the room. His heels clicked against the tiled floor as he walked to the doors and pulled one of them open. When he left the room the door closed on its own behind him. The only sound was that of the little wall clock.

_Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick._

\---

Francis wasn’t exactly sure where he was headed to once he left the meeting room. He kept walking down the hall once he was out of the double-doors but he had no sense of direction and no idea where he even wanted to go in the first place. Eventually he found himself in front of the door to the men’s bathroom and pushed his way inside. 

He walked to a sink at the very back of the room. It was a large and very nice bathroom with many stalls that were entirely separated from each other by marble walls and oaken doors. It smelled like cinnamon and seawater and the light fixtures were just dim enough to give the place a soothing and tranquil atmosphere. To top everything off, soft classical music played through miniscule speakers embedded in the ceiling. 

He turned the plastic crystal knobs of the sink until the water was warm, and he leaned down and closed his eyes so that he could splash his face clean. He didn’t bother to roll up his sleeves, and the collar and part of the front of his shirt became wet as well as the cuffs of his sleeves. His eyes became blurred when he opened them as beads of water caught in his eyelashes. He turned the water off and reached for the paper towels that were mounted on the wall beside him. 

After wiping the water from his face and throwing the paper towels into the wastebin underneath the counter, Francis remained in the bathroom for several minutes. His hands rested on top of the counter, and he leaned against the counter on his arms. He stared at the bowl of the sink for what seemed like an eternity. 

He was so _tired_ of this. So very, very tired. He was tired of seeing the people that he loved tear each other apart. He was tired of never being able to spend time with his friends without some drama coming up. He was tired of living in fear of the countries who rivaled each other so greatly that they might start another war. He was tired of knowing that he would never be loved the way that he wanted to be. But most of all he was so _goddamn tired_ of _existing._ He just didn’t want to be here anymore at all.

His mind was drifting to that dark place again. He knew that there was nothing he could do about it, so what good did it do to keep thinking about how much he wished that he didn’t have to carry the burden of life any longer? It was better to just leave this wretched building before he could let his mind wander any further.

He had no intention of going back into the meeting room that day. Though, he didn’t much feel like catching a cab back to his hotel, either. He never had any time for sightseeing during the days of these meetings, and when he did have time he was always too exhausted to do so. Maybe today was just the break that he needed to take a look around. 

_When in Rome…_ Francis thought to himself, a small smile inching its way onto his face. 

He _was_ in Rome, after all. Feliciano and Lovino were hosting the meeting this month. Francis had been looking forward to spending some time with the two of them, but… Well, maybe it was just as well that he spent some time on his own.

Upon exiting the bathroom Francis nearly crashed into someone else in the hallway. Their shoulders brushed past each other and Francis had to stumble a little to keep his footing. He stopped walking to turn and apologize to whoever it was that he had walked into, only to find that it was Matthew, who had stopped walking as well. 

“Oh, Matthew- I-I’m so sorry, are you okay?” Francis asked, walking over to the younger man and placing a hand delicately on his shoulder. 

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine, Papa. It wasn’t your fault, don’t worry. I should have been watching where I was going,” Matthew said, offering Francis a soft smile. “Funny thing is, I was looking for you…” he added quietly.

“O-oh, you were?” Francis inquired.

Matthew nodded his head. “After you left… Everyone started working together better. Everyone felt guilty for making you so upset, so they tried to actually listen to each other for once… Everyone’s breaking for lunch now. I was wondering if you felt okay enough to come back and join us for the second half of the meeting once everyone gets back,” he said.

Well, Francis was certainly glad to hear that everyone had seemingly settled down since he had left. Still, Francis really didn’t feel up to spending any more time in that dreaded meeting room. No, Francis was going to allow himself to be selfish today. He wasn’t going back into that mess again today.

“I don’t think so, darling. I think it’s better if I just stay away from everyone today,” he said softly. 

“Oh, that’s okay. I understand. But you should at least let me take you out to lunch. Maybe eating something will make you feel better, and I can tell the others that you’re okay,” Matthew suggested. 

Francis smiled faintly. “I suppose I can’t say no to that,” he said. 

Matthew’s smile broadened. “Great. Then, come on. I think I know a good place that no one else is heading to,” he said, and took Francis’ hand into his own before leading the older man down the hall and out of the building. 

Matthew didn’t bother to call for a taxi once he and Francis were outside the meeting hall building. He led Francis down a couple streets until they reached a small hole-in-the-wall cafe that seemed practically empty when Francis looked into the window from the outside. Matthew pulled the door open and held it so that Francis could walk inside, and once Francis was inside, Matthew followed. The door fell shut slowly behind the two of them. 

The scents of bread, cheese, oregano, and other spices filled the atmosphere of the cafe. It looked a little rough around the edges, but overall it was quiet and it was cozy. The desserts inside the glass case at the counter looked to die for, too. 

As soon as Francis and Matthew had sat down, the woman who was running the counter came over to them to ask them what they wanted to eat. Francis and Matthew both ordered the same thing; the soup of the day with a glass of wine and some garlic bread to go with it. Everything was ready in a matter of minutes, and Francis and Matthew were able to start eating quickly.  
“Are you feeling any better now, Papa?” Matthew asked once he saw that Francis had made some good progress with his meal.

Francis smiled at Matthew again. “Yes, I’m feeling much better, my Lily. Thank you,” he said.

“Better enough to come back to the meeting hall with me?” Matthew ventured. 

Francis’ gaze shifted back to his soup. “No, I don’t think so. I really think that I need to take the day off,” he answered.

Matthew hummed softly. “That’s okay. You do what you need to, Papa. I’m sorry that everyone stressed you out so much today,” he said. 

“It’s not your fault, Matthew. You know you never have to apologize to me for anything,” Francis said. 

“I know… I just feel bad because you already have to deal with so much. I wish everyone else would be kinder to each other for you. You’re never anything but kind to them,” Matthew said. 

“Well… We’ve all had our moments, Matthew. Even I am not free of sin, nor have I always been kind,” Francis murmured.

“Well, you’ve always been kind to me, and that’s all that I care about. I love you, Papa,” Matthew told him. 

“Thank you, Matthew. I love you too.”

Matthew paid for the food after he and Francis had finished eating. When the dishes had been taken away and the money taken up, Francis and Matthew stood to hug each other before Matthew left the cafe to go back to the meeting hall. Francis went to go sightseeing just as he had promised himself earlier. 

Francis was never really sure where he was going. He walked wherever his feet wanted to take him. He didn’t really care where he ended up. 

By nightfall he had reached something spectacular. Something had drawn him down narrow streets to a crowd of people who surrounded a large and magnificent baroque fountain. _La Fontana di Trevi._ The Trevi Fountain. 

It was Rome’s biggest and most beautiful fountain. It was said to be the most famous wishingwell in the entire world. Using your right hand to toss a coin over your shoulder and into the fountain with your back turned to it was said to guarantee that you would return to Rome someday, or to grant any other wish that you may have had.

Francis pushed his way through the crowd without much hesitation. He made his way to the edge of the fountain and looked over into its pristine chlorine-blue waters. Rusty coins sparkled on the bottom of the fountain, illuminated by the lights that surrounded the water. 

Maybe a wish was exactly what Francis needed right now. 

He fished around in the front pocket of his pants until he found his wallet. Taking it out he unzipped it and reached into the pouch where he kept his change. He pulled a coin out of the pouch before zipping his wallet up and sticking it back into his pocket again.

He turned his back to the fountain, making sure to keep the coin in his right hand. The only question now was, what was there to wish for? What did Francis really want? 

There were so many things that would have come to mind for Francis if it had been any other day. He’d wish that he were human so that he could live the life he had always wanted to have. He’d wish for God to make him a person that was immortal like he was, to fall in love with him and live his life with him so that he didn’t have to feel so alone. He’d wish that the problems of his people would go away. He’d wish that the problems of the _world’s_ people would go away. Hell, he would have tossed the coin in and just asked for something as cliche as “world peace”.

But that wasn’t what he wanted now. He was too tired for all of that now. The world had rarely been kind to him. Why would he think that God would grant a wish as daring and hopeful as any of those? 

All he really wanted right now was to disappear. Was that too much to ask? Was it too much to ask that Francis could simply just… Stop existing? 

No… No, that left too many variables. If Francis wished to stop existing, what would happen to his country? His people? Would they cease to exist, too? That wasn’t fair to them. No, Francis would need someone to take his place. There would have to be a new Personification of France to make sure that his country kept on living, and that his people were okay.

But what about his friends? How would they react to this new Personification? How would they feel when they realized that the Francis they had known and loved for centuries no longer existed? People like Matthew, Michelle, Alfred, Arthur… How would they all feel to know that Francis was gone? 

Heartbroken, probably. Upset. Guilty. Everyone would be so confused as to what had happened, and if they ever found out what Francis had wished for, everyone would wonder if it had been their fault. They would miss Francis so much that they might not ever accept the new Personification into their lives, feeling that the new Personification could never replace their old friend. Everyone would be miserable, and it would all be because of Francis. 

There was no way that Francis could make a wish like that knowing how much damage he would cause to the people that he cared about. If only there was someway to ensure that they wouldn’t miss him when he was gone. The only way that could ever happen is if Francis could either make them all hate him, or make them forget about him.

Francis would never do anything to hurt his friends. There was no way that he could bear taking the time to make them hate him. He wouldn’t be able to die happy if he knew that they hated him, anyways. The only other thing he could do was… Make them forget.

Yes, that was it. He’d make them forget. He’d wish himself out of existence and he would take every memory of himself with him. That way he could die knowing that he had been loved but also knowing that his friends wouldn’t be devastated by his disappearance. No one would miss him because they wouldn’t even remember who he was. 

Then it was settled. Francis knew what he was wishing for now. He closed his fist around the coin tightly, closing his eyes as he thought his wish to himself.

_I wish that I may slowly fade from my existence. To replace me a new Personification should be made, who is better suited to this job than I, and who will not suffer like I have. I wish that my friends… My **family…** Will not miss me when I am gone. I want their memories of me to fade, and I want memories with the new Personification to take their place. I want them to be content, and I will be content, too._

He took a deep breath and tossed the coin over his shoulder. He didn’t open his eyes until he heard the _plop_ of the coin hitting the water’s surface. When he opened his eyes, he felt the weight of the world fall off of his chest. 

It was November 11th, at 11:11 PM. Finding a new lightness in his step, Francis walked away from the fountain and never looked back. He didn’t see it, but the coin that he had tossed into the fountain vanished when it had reached the bottom. As Francis was walking, he found that he couldn’t quite remember just what he had been doing at that fountain in the first place…


	2. December

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alfred F. Jones' Christmas party is the thing that pretty much every country looks forwards to around this time of year, but Francis seems to have forgotten all about being invited to this year's extravaganza.

The crackling of the flames as they licked the logs within the fireplace was the only sound that danced around the walls of Francis’ parlor room. He sat on the sofa, leaning against the arm with his legs pulled onto the cushions and stretched out beside him. His eyes never moved from those bright orange flames. Not even for a moment. 

Francis only snapped out of his daze when his cell phone started vibrating on the table beside the sofa. He jumped slightly and turned his head to look at the phone as a ringtone started to play on it. Because of the smooth surface of the table, the phone rotated just a little bit every time it vibrated.

The phone was just about to stop ringing when Francis finally snatched it up off of the table and answered it. _”Allô?”_ he asked softly.

“Hey, Francis, how’re ya doin’, pal?” asked whoever was on the other end of the line. Francis recognized the voice, but for some odd reason he just couldn’t put a name to it.

“Oh, I’m, euh- Who is this…?” he asked, biting his lip awkwardly.

“Oh, it’s Alfred, dude. Sorry about that,” the voice said, and Francis pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance with himself. He couldn’t believe that he had forgotten the name of one of his oldest and closest friends. 

“No, don’t apologize, Alfred. I’m sorry, I’m feeling a bit exhausted tonight. I spaced out for a moment,” he said.

“Listen Francis, are you feeling okay? I really called to check up on you. I’ve been feeling a little worried about you lately, is everything okay?” Alfred asked. 

Francis furrowed his brow in confusion. “Of course I’m okay, Alfred. Why would you ask?” He inquired.

“Well it’s just that you haven’t said much to anyone but Matthew lately. I feel like I haven’t gotten to speak to you much at all since we were in Rome. And my Christmas party is about a week away but you haven’t said anything about wanting to come. You are coming, aren’t you?” Alfred asked seriously. 

Francis paused for a moment. Christmas party… Well, Francis knew that Alfred did usually have a Christmas party but couldn’t remember Alfred having said anything about it this year, and for some reason he hadn’t felt the need to ask about it. And it had been a year at least since the last time that they had been in Rome. Francis had no idea what Alfred was talking about, saying that Francis had hardly spoken to anyone since they were in Rome. What was this all about?

“Oh, I… I’m sorry, Alfred, I… I can’t remember you having said anything about the party. And we haven’t been in Rome together in ages. I’m sorry, I’m a bit confused…” Francis murmured.

“Dude, our meeting in November was in Rome, remem…-” Alfred paused for a moment, “-...You weren’t at the meeting in November, were you?”

“No, I… I don’t believe I was,” Francis told him, pursing his lips as he tried to remember exactly why he hadn’t been at the meeting in November. Nothing came to mind. He was blank.

“Well, still… I’m pretty sure I texted you about it or something? And I’ve been blabbing on Twitter about it for ages. You had to have found out somehow…” Alfred said.

Francis sighed heavily. “I’m so, _so_ sorry, Alfred. But don’t worry- Don’t… Listen, I’m sure I can find a flight and book it soon. I’ll look for something tonight and I’ll let you know what day I can get it for. I’ll be at your party, Alfred. I promise.” 

“You know you can stay at my place, right? And if you need money for the plane ticket I’ll pay for it. I just wanna make sure you’ll be here,” Alfred said. 

“No, no, don’t worry about it. I can pay for my own ticket,” Francis said, and smiled faintly. “Though it would be a pleasure to stay at your house.”

“Done. I’ll make sure the guest room is made up just for you,” Alfred said.

“Thank you, Alfred. Do you know who else is coming? I want to make sure I have gifts for everyone,” Francis said.

“No way dude, you know I have a ‘no-gifts’ rule. Everyone would be spending a fortune if they had to get gifts for everyone else,” Alfred replied.

“O-oh, right, that’s right… I’m so sorry, I’m all over the place lately…” Francis murmured. 

“Hey, it’s okay,” Alfred said reassuringly. “I know how crazy things can get for you sometimes. Maybe this party’s just the break you need. Y’know, get your mind off of work or whatever for a little while.”

Francis smiled faintly again. “You’re right. Thank you, Alfred. I’m very excited to see you again,” he said.

“Same here, dude. But hey, I know it’s late where you are, and I gotta call some other people to make sure that they’re coming too. I’ll talk to you soon, okay?” Alfred asked.

“Right, of course. I’ll talk to you soon. I love you,” Francis said.

“Love you too, Francis,” Alfred said, and ended the call.

\---

Francis managed to get a flight to Vermont that left two days after the night that Alfred had called. He slept through practically the whole flight. He had gotten up far too early to catch this flight, and it was late in the evening when his plane finally landed. He had planned on just catching a cab and taking it to Alfred’s house, but Alfred surprised him by coming to pick him up at the airport. 

Alfred found Francis while he was waiting to pick his luggage up from the carousel. He watched for his bags to come around with faint anxiety, the thought of the airline having lost all of his things hanging in the back of his mind. He heard the familiar sound of Alfred’s voice coming from behind him.

“Francis!! There you are!!” the younger nation shouted.

Francis’ eyes widened a little when he heard the voice. He turned around to see Alfred running towards him, with a huge smile on the boy’s face. He nearly collided with Francis before he could slow down, and he wrapped Francis up in a warm embrace. 

“I’m so glad you’re here!” Alfred exclaimed.

Francis laughed and hugged the boy back tightly. “You didn’t tell me you were coming to pick me up, Alfred,” he said, smiling softly. 

“Well, I wanted it to be a surprise!” Alfred said. “But seriously, there’s no way I’d just let you take a cab to my place all by yourself! What kinda host would that make me?” he asked.

Francis placed a soft kiss to Alfred’s temple, causing Alfred to blush softly. “Thank you for this, Alfred. I really appreciate it,” Francis said.

“It’s no problem dude, really!” Alfred said, finally pulling away from Francis. “Do you have your bags yet? I’ll carry them for you,” he offered.

Francis shook his head. “No, I haven’t got my bags yet. But you don’t have to carry them. I can do it,” he said.

“No way, I’ll do it! It’s fine, Francis! Just tell me which ones are yours and I’ll grab ‘em!” Alfred exclaimed.

Francis sighed faintly, and smiled a little more. “If you insist,” he said.

Eventually, Francis did spot his bags on the carousel. He went to remove them, but when Alfred saw the bags that he was going for, Alfred grabbed them himself. Afterwards, he began walking away from the carousel and beckoning for Francis to follow him. 

Alfred and Francis walked to the guest parking lot, where Alfred had parked his car for the time being. It was cold and snowing outside, but Francis had had enough common sense to take a winter coat with him onto the plane. Alfred, of course, was dressed for the occasion as well. 

Francis settled himself into the passenger’s seat as Alfred opened the trunk of the car and loaded Francis’ bags into it. After the bags were securely in the trunk, Alfred shut it and moved to the driver’s seat. He started the car up quickly, buckling his seatbelt and turning up the hot air in the car before pulling out of the parking lot and beginning the drive to his cabin in the mountains.

As the Personification of a rather large country, Alfred owned several places of residence throughout his fifty states. He spends most of his time in a small house that he owns in Maryland, but the cabin in Vermont was always where he held his Christmas parties. It was snowy, peaceful, and cozy. Everyone always felt at home there.

The drive from the airport to the cabin was a little more than half an hour. Francis and Alfred were silent for the most part of it, but neither of them minded. Alfred had the radio playing and the music was entertaining enough for the both of them. 

Francis insisted on carrying at least some of his own bags into the cabin once they arrived. Alfred was fine with this, but only because he had to unlock and open the front door and needed a free hand to do it. Francis knew his way around the cabin already, but he didn’t know which of the extra bedrooms Alfred had made up for him yet, so he had to ask before he could bring his things there.

“Alfred, which room am I staying in?” he inquired as Alfred followed him into the cabin and shut the front door. 

“Oh uh, it’s the one right next to mine,” Alfred said.

Francis smiled at him. “Thank you, darling,” he said, and began carrying his bags down the hall to the room that he would be staying in. 

It only took a few minutes for Francis to get settled into the room. He didn’t bother to unpack his things and put them away. He simply opened his bags and placed them neatly in corners of the room so that everything was accessible to him. When he was finished, he and Alfred walked back to the living room and sat down on a couch together.

“So… How would you feel about just ordering a pizza for dinner?” Alfred asked, smiling faintly at Francis. “I mean it’s already pretty late and I don’t even know what either of us could cook, really.”

Francis smiled back at Alfred, and then yawned a little. Despite all the sleeping he had done on his flight, he was still tired. Jet lag was going to bite him in the ass tomorrow.

“A pizza sounds fine to me, darling,” he said. 

“Great!” Alfred exclaimed.

Francis leaned back against the couch and closed his eyes while Alfred used his cellphone to call the nearest Dominos and order a pizza. After Alfred had ordered the pizza he set his phone down on the coffee table and picked up the remote for the TV. He turned the TV on and flipped through channels until he found _Back to the Future_ playing on ABC and decided to watch that. 

It was another forty-five minutes before there was a knock on the cabin door. Alfred bolted up from the couch and rushed to the door to open it. He found the pizza delivery man standing on the other side.

Francis cracked his eyes open a little and watched as Alfred paid for the pizza and then took it from the delivery man’s hands. Alfred kicked the door shut once the delivery man had walked back to his car, and then brought the pizza to the kitchen. Once again Francis yawned before stretching his arms above his head and standing up from the couch to follow Alfred into the kitchen. 

No ceremony went into opening the pizza box and tearing into it. Alfred simply tossed the box onto the counter, opened it, and grabbed a slice. He hopped up to sit on the counter and tore a bite out of his slice while he watched Francis enter the kitchen and grab his own slice. Both Francis and Alfred were so hungry that they ate the entire pizza together within a few minutes. 

Alfred had planned on staying up a little longer after dinner. Francis, however, wanted to get a headstart on recovering from his jet lag and opted to go to sleep as soon as he had finished eating. With a warm hug, a kiss to Alfred’s temple, and an exchange of “I love you, goodnight,” Francis left Alfred sitting on the counter and disappeared to his room for the night. 

\---

There were two other people who had come to stay in Alfred’s cabin up to and after the day of Alfred’s Christmas party. Matthew had opted to make the drive to Vermont from Quebec and had arrived in the afternoon of the next day. Arthur was flying out and arrived in the evening. Alfred, Matthew, and Francis had all went back to the airport to pick Arthur up together. Everyone else who was planning on coming to the party were either renting vacation cabins near Alfred’s or staying in hotels that were a little further away. 

The party was always held on the day before Christmas Eve. It was the day that was closest to Christmas while still giving everyone who wanted to be back in their own countries for Christmas time to get back as long as they had bought their plane tickets ahead of time. Francis, Matthew, and Arthur, though, always stayed with Alfred through the New Year. 

Arthur kept the cabin clean on the day of the party. Alfred and Matthew did decorating together, as well as putting out plates and cups and whatever other kitchenware would be needed for the food. Francis cooked. The party was set to start at 6:00 PM. The first guests arrived at 6:05. 

When Alfred heard the knock on the door he bolted to it. When he opened it he was greeted with strong arms wrapping around his torso and a hearty laugh from a certain silver-haired ex-nation. “Gilbert!” Alfred exclaimed, laughing and hugging the older man back before waving to Ludwig, Feliciano, and Lovino, who were all standing behind him. 

Francis stepped out of the kitchen for a moment when he heard the familiar laugh of his old friend. His hair was tied back and a hand towel was draped over his shoulder. He smiled at Gilbert and the others while leaning against the archway that led into the kitchen. 

_”Bonsoir, tout le monde!”_ he cooed. 

“Heyyy, Francis!! I’m so glad you made it after all!!” Gilbert said, letting go of Alfred and rushing over to Francis to give him a hug.

Francis chuckled softly and hugged him back. “Of course I made it, Gil. Why wouldn’t I have?” he asked.

“Well Alfred told me before that he was worried about you and he told me that you had to get a last minute flight because you forgot to book one last month,” Gilbert replied.

Francis smiled softly at Gilbert and rubbed his shoulders lightly. “Well, you don’t have to be worried about me. I’m here and I’m ready to have lots of fun,” he said. 

“Hell yeah! Then let’s get this show on the road!” Gilbert exclaimed.

Ludwig, Lovino, and Feliciano were ushered into the cabin to join everyone else. Alfred shut the door and ran to the coffee table to grab the TV remote and find the channel that played Christmas music on it. Meanwhile, Arthur took coats from the new guests and hung them up on the coatrack that was mounted by the door. 

It wasn’t long before the guests started pouring into Alfred’s house. Matthias and the other Nordics all came, as well as Kiku, Antonio, Carlos, Ivan, Toris, Natalia, and many others. The cabin became so crowded that Alfred was afraid he’d have to find a bigger place to host next year’s party. 

Almost everyone brought some food to the party. Homemade desserts and drinks and whatnot for everyone to enjoy. All of the counters in the kitchen, as well as all the space on the dining table, were covered in trays and plates and bowls of festive foods. There was enough alcohol here for everyone in the cabin to get drunk as Hell if they wanted. 

Arthur really couldn’t do much to keep the cabin in order once the party had really heated up. Perhaps it had been inevitable, but there were coats and gloves and shoes and all manner of other garments discarded and tossed onto the floor here and there. Beer, wine, and spiked eggnog sometimes ended up on the counter or on the floor. Luckily, everyone seemed to have the common sense not to eat or drink anything over the carpet or on the furniture, and the only person became incredibly drunk was Lovino. 

Alfred had been right. This party was exactly the break that Francis had needed. As he, Antonio, and Gilbert stood on top of Alfred’s coffee table together and sang along loudly to the Christmas carols that blasted from Alfred’s TV, Francis had forgotten about everything else that was going on in the world. 

All that mattered to him in this moment was the feeling of his friends’ arms around his shoulders and hearing their voices harmonize with his. All that mattered was Alfred’s laughter. All that mattered was Matthew’s whistling. All that mattered was Arthur’s and Ludwig’s humming. All that mattered was the rowdy repartee of everyone else in the room. It was times like these that made Francis happy to be alive. 

The party lasted until somewhere around three in the morning. It might have gone on for longer if more people were staying at Alfred’s house, but that was when Ludwig finally decided he’d had enough and dragged Gilbert and the Vargas brothers out of the cabin before they could protest. And so, the first guests to arrive were also the last to leave, and Alfred and his house guests were practically ready to pass out on the couch. 

Arthur, though, was adamant that the house had to be cleaned before anyone went to bed. Francis was the first person to get up and help him, followed by Matthew, and finally Alfred. Furniture was pushed back into place. Dishes were washed and put away. Food was stored in the fridge. Garbage was thrown away. Spills were mopped or wiped up. Between the four of them, cleaning the whole cabin took less than another hour. 

“Well, Alfred, I have to say this has to have been your best Christmas party yet,” Francis said, and yawned softly as he and the others stood just outside of the hallway that led to the bedrooms. 

Arthur shrugged. “I always liked it better when the crowd was smaller,” he said.

Francis rolled his eyes and smirked playfully. “That’s because you’re allergic to fun.” 

“I am not,” Arthur grumbled. “I did have a good time tonight.”

“Yeah, me too,” Matthew said, smiling softly. 

“Well, I think we should all get to bed now. If we stay up any longer we might as well just sleep through all of tomorrow,” Francis said, chuckling softly. 

“I’m already gonna sleep through all of tomorrow anyways,” Alfred snorted. 

Francis smiled and pulled Alfred into a hug. “Goodnight, Alfred,” he said softly, and kissed Alfred’s forehead. 

“Night, Francis!” 

Francis pulled away from Alfred and pulled Matthew into a hug. “Goodnight, Matthew,” he said, and kissed Matthew’s hair. 

“Goodnight, Papa.”

Finally, Francis pulled away from Matthew and pulled Arthur into a hug. “Goodnight, Arthur,” he said, and kissed Arthur’s cheek.

A soft but playful sigh passed through Arthur’s lips. “Goodnight, Frog.” 

“I’ll see you all in the morning, darlings,” Francis said, smiling at everyone as he pulled away from Arthur. 

“See ya in the mornin’, Francis,” Alfred said, and smiled back at him. 

Francis blew a kiss before turning away from the others and being the first to walk into the hallway. The others followed shortly, after giving each other hugs and wishing each other goodnight. One by one the four doors in the hallway opened and closed as their respective residents disappeared into them, and the house fell silent for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know I really expected to have this chapter out, like, weeks ago. But school is a bitch and I still barely have time for writing anymore. Oops. 
> 
> This chapter took a lot of rewriting (mainly in the beginning) because I couldnt decide exactly how I wanted the memory process to unfold. At first I had it so that Francis was the only one who had lost his memories of November, but I felt that that didnt exactly go with what I had originally intended the theme to be... I tried to change it so that Alfred also had no memories of November but that didnt make any sense. In the end I decided to make it so that Alfred (and the other nations) remember what happened in November but they dont remember Francis being with them, and Francis doesnt remember at all what he was doing in November. It may seem a little confusing now but the more chapters I put out the clearer this path will be. I hope everyone is enjoying this so far <3


	3. January

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's New Year's Eve, and Alfred plans to help Francis achieve his New Year's resolution of making this year the best year of his life by starting that year off with a kiss at midnight. However, tension rises when Francis and Alfred pull away from their kiss and suddenly Francis can't remember anything prior to that point.

Francis moaned softly in his sleep, turning onto his side and pressing his head deeper into his pillow as consciousness began to take hold of him once again. The sound of soft and muffled laughter danced in Francis’ ears behind the closed door of his bedroom. Even through the closed blinds, sunlight streamed into the bedroom from Francis’ window, and before long it became impossible for Francis to attempt going back to sleep.

Yawning, Francis slowly pushed himself into a sitting position in his bed. He stretched his arms above his head, humming quietly before reaching over to his nightstand and grabbing the hair brush off of it. Beside the hair brush, there was a small mirror, which Francis looked into as he began to brush his hair to get rid of the tangles that made up his bedhead. Once he had made his hair decent again, he put the hair brush down and climbed out of bed. 

Francis left the bedroom and walked down the hall, towards the living room and the kitchen. The laughter became clearer and louder the closer Francis got to the end of the hall. It was only a couple seconds before he had walked into the living room and saw Arthur sitting on the couch with a cup of tea, Matthew in the kitchen making pancakes, and Alfred sitting on the dining room table with a party blower in his mouth. 

“What’s everyone laughing about this morning…?” Francis asked softly, smiling at the others as he made his way to the couch to sit down next to Arthur.

Upon hearing Francis’ voice, Alfred jumped up from the table and ran over to him. As Francis sat down next to Arthur, Alfred came up behind Francis and bent down until his party blower was beside Francis’ ear. Then, Alfred blew into the party blower, and Francis shrieked as the purple tail unfurled beside his face and the loud honking noise sounded in his ear. Alfred, Arthur, and Matthew all burst into laughter again.

“Happy New Year’s Eve, Francis!” Alfred shouted as he pulled the party blower out of his mouth. He wrapped an arm around Francis’ shoulder, pulled him close, and kissed his temple before dashing into the kitchen and sitting on top of the table again.

Francis laughed softly, watching Alfred as he ran back into the kitchen. “Oh, happy New Year’s Eve, darlings,” he said. 

“I can’t wait until tonight you guys, we’re gonna have so much fun it’s gonna be so cool!!” Alfred shouted, grinning broadly and giggling loudly. 

“Well, we better hurry up and eat so that we can all get dressed and hit the road. It’s about a five hour drive from here to New York City, isn’t it, Alfred?” Arthur asked, turning his head to look at Alfred.

“Yeah! But don’t worry, we’ll get there in time,” Alfred replied, and then looked at Matthew. “You almost finished with the pancakes, Mattie?” he asked.

“Yep, why don’t you all come sit down at the table,” Matthew replied, flipping a couple more pancakes onto a plate. 

Alfred slid off of the table and pulled out a chair to sit at instead. Arthur and Francis stood up from the couch together and made their way to the table. Arthur pulled out a chair for Francis and himself before sitting down. Francis thanked Arthur quietly and sat down in the chair that Arthur had pulled out for him. 

After a couple minutes, Matthew brought plates, forks, knives, cups, and napkins to the table and set them down in front of Alfred. As Alfred passed the dishes, silverware, and napkins around to everyone else, Matthew brought a plate of pancakes, a small tupperware of butter, and jugs of milk and orange juice to the table as well. Finally, Matthew sat down at the table with the others, and all of them enjoyed the delicious breakfast that Matthew had prepared for them together. 

After breakfast, Alfred and Matthew cleaned the kitchen while Arthur and Francis showered and got dressed. When that was finished, Alfred and Matthew showered while Arthur and Francis loaded their luggage along with Matthew’s luggage into Matthew’s car, which they were using to drive to New York City together. Finally, once everyone was dressed and ready to go, they all piled into Matthew’s car and began the drive to their New Year’s Eve destination. 

The drive really didn’t seem long at all. It was filled with games of “I Spy” and singing along loudly to songs on the radio and other silly little things like that. They made it to Alfred’s penthouse apartment in the city by 4:00 PM, with plenty of time to get things ready before celebrating the coming of the New Year.

After all of the luggage had been unloaded into the apartment, Matthew and Alfred went together to the store to pick up champagne and sparkling cider to drink later on, as well as more party horns and cheap party hats. Arthur and Francis tagged along so that they could buy things that Francis could use to make a nice dinner that night. They were back in the apartment by 5:20, and Francis started dinner almost as soon as they were inside. 

Francis made a simple chicken cordon bleu accompanied by cheesy scalloped potatoes and steamed vegetables. Arthur poured champagne for himself and Francis, and sparkling cider for Alfred and Matthew. And, as he did every year, Francis encouraged Alfred and Matthew to have a sip of his champagne, even if they didn’t drink glasses of their own. 

From the balcony of Alfred’s apartment there was a clear view of Times Square, as well as where they would be dropping the ball at midnight. After dinner and cleanup, the four nations spent the rest of the night on that balcony together, waiting until the countdown began. It was still a few hours away, but that didn’t matter. They had drinks and conversation to pass the time. 

“So, what do you say we talk about New Year’s resolutions? Has anybody given any thought to what they want to try to accomplish this year?” Francis asked when he noticed that there was about half an hour until the ball was meant to drop.

“Oh, what’s the point in that? Everyone knows that no one ever keeps their resolutions, anyways,” Arthur said, waving his hand dismissively and then taking a sip of his champagne through smiling lips. 

Francis huffed softly. “Well I, for one, intend to keep _my_ resolution this year,” he protested. 

Arthur raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Well, what exactly would that resolution be?” he inquired. 

Francis pursed his lips for a moment, holding his champagne glass close to his chin as he stared out at the city beneath the balcony. The others stared at Francis in anticipation and confusion, wanting to know what he would say, and wondering why he had gotten so quiet all of a sudden. The silence was almost unbearable.

“Come on, Francis. Tell us what your resolution is,” Alfred urged.

Francis leaned forward, not taking his eyes off of the horizon. He placed his champagne glass down on the table that he and the others were gathered around and sat back in his chair, folding his hands in his lap. He took a slow and heavy breath before finally looking at the others again.

“I want to make this year the best year of my life thus far. That’s my resolution.”

Once again a silence fell upon the group. The seriousness in Francis’ voice and in his visage caught everyone off guard. This conversation was no longer light hearted or made of jokes. Instead, the others believed that this was something that was terribly important to Francis, and something that they decided would be important to them, too. 

“Well, that doesn’t sound so unacheivable,” Arthur said, finally breaking the silence. “I think that’s a wonderful resolution. I just might make the same one.”

Matthew smiled faintly. “Yeah, I bet you can do it, Papa. We’ll help you, for sure,” he said.

Alfred nodded enthusiastically. “Hell yeah, man! We’ll all make that our resolution and we’ll keep it together!” he exclaimed.

Francis smiled and laughed softly. “Thank you, darlings. You’re right, I’m sure we’ll be able to keep it together,” he said.

He reached forward to grab his champagne glass off of the table again, keeping the smile on his face as he pressed the glass to his lips and sipped from it. He trained his eyes back on the horizon. He hummed softly as a silly thought came to his mind.

“You know, the romantic in me can’t help but wish I had someone to kiss at midnight. I can’t remember the last time I had someone to kiss on New Year’s Eve. That would certainly start the year off well,” he said,

“I’ll kiss you if you want, Francis,” Alfred piped up, almost immediately. 

Francis looked at Alfred again, seeming a little surprised. “Would you really, Alfred?” he asked.

Alfred smiled at Francis again. “Sure, why not? I wanna give you the best year ever, Francis!” he replied.

Francis smiled back at Alfred, chuckling faintly. “Alright, then it’s settled. You can kiss me at midnight,” he said. 

“Hell yeah!” Alfred exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air excitedly. The others laughed. 

At two minutes to midnight, the four nations placed their glasses on the table and stood up together, walking to the rail of the balcony and standing there together. Alfred grabbed the bag of party blowers and hats that had been sitting on the table and grabbed a hat and a blower before passing the bag to Francis, who passed it to Matthew, who passed it to Arthur. Soon all four of them were wearing ridiculous party hats and were carrying party blowers, and they laughed and smiled together as the final countdown came closer and closer. 

Alfred and Francis faced each other when the timer finally reached ten seconds before midnight. Arthur and Matthew looked at Francis and Alfred, curious to see how their little New Year’s kiss would turn out. The four of them started counting down the seconds together.

“Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two-”

Alfred grabbed Francis by his shoulders and pulled him close, kissing him softly but eagerly as the ball dropped and the crowd of people in Times Square erupted into applause. Arthur and Matthew blew their party blowers as Francis and Alfred kissed each other until the applause below them died down a little.

And yet, something wasn’t right about the situation at hand. This New Year’s kiss was not everything that Francis had wanted it to be, and in fact it seemed like halfway through, Alfred and Francis had forgotten why they were kissing in the first place. They lost heat. They lost interest. 

They pulled away and stared at each other awkwardly. Neither one of them knew exactly what to say, or where to go from here. Eventually, Alfred just cleared his throat and stepped back. 

“Uh, happy New Year, I guess,” he murmured before walking to the sliding glass door at the entrance of the balcony and slipping back into the apartment. 

Arthur raised an eyebrow when he saw Alfred leave, and put his party blower down to look at Francis. “What’s up with Alfred?” he asked.

“I don’t… I don’t know, I… One second we were kissing, the next he just seemed disappointed,” Francis told him.

“Oh, Papa, why did you think it was a good idea to kiss him? You know he’s still upset that you didn’t come to his party,” Matthew scolded, furrowing his brow a little.

Francis stared at the open glass door and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand before tugging on his hair a little. “I suppose… I guess I thought it would cheer him up, or something…” he murmured, though in all honesty he had absolutely no idea what Matthew was even talking about. What party had Matthew mentioned? Francis certainly hadn’t been invited to any lately. 

Arthur glared at Francis and swatted the back of Francis’ head swiftly. “Francis, you know you can’t just kiss and make up with most people. If you want him to forgive you then go talk to him and apologize to him,” he ordered.

Francis flinched when Arthur swatted him. “Right… Of course, right… I’ll go talk to him…” he mumbled.

With a soft sigh, Francis straightened himself up and walked to the glass door, slipping into the apartment just as Alfred had before. It didn’t take long to track down the younger nation. Alfred was sitting on the couch with his elbows propped up on his knees and his hands folded beneath his chin. Frowning, Francis came and sat down beside him.

“Alfred, I-”

“Don’t,” Alfred said abruptly, interrupting him. “Don’t apologize. It’s fine. I know you were trying to make me happy.”

“But Alfred I really am sorry, I don’t know what got into me I just-” He stopped himself, sighing once again. “I just wanted to try and make things up to you, I suppose.” 

Alfred scoffed lightly. “It’s gonna take more than a New Year’s kiss to make up for missing my party, pal,” he grumbled.

“Alfred, please don’t be angry with me. You know I would never do anything to hurt you on purpose, I’m so sorry for what I did but I-”

“I’m not accepting your apologies right now, Francis,” Alfred said, cutting Francis off once again. “I’m really upset with you, okay? I don’t hear from you for two months, you skip out on my Christmas party, and then you just show up to my place on New Year’s and you think that a kiss is gonna make it all better? I’m really disappointed in you, Francis. You’re better than that.”

“I know, I know, I’m sorry, but Alfred I really don’t know what you’re talking about. Alfred I was never invited to any party, I didn’t know you were having one, I’m sorry,” Francis argued.

“That’s bullshit, Francis. I would never not invite you to my party. I sent you an email about it, I texted you, I probably called you at least twice, and I had been talking about it all over Twitter weeks before the party. You just ignored all of it!” Alfred shouted. 

“I didn’t ignore it Alfred I never saw it. I never got your messages, I never got your calls. I didn’t know you were having a party,” Francis insisted. 

“Even if you didn’t get the messages you _know_ that I host this party every year, Francis! You know how important this party is to me! You didn’t think to call me up and ask ‘oh hey Alfred, is everything alright? I haven’t heard anything about your Christmas party are you feeling okay?’ You haven’t fucking talked to me or anyone else in two months! And then you just show up here and act like nothing has happened! What the fuck, Francis?” Alfred yelled. 

“Well if you would at least let me explain and apologize then maybe you wouldn’t have to be so angry with me!” Francis shouted back.

“Then explain it to me, Francis! Why haven’t you talked to anyone in two fucking months? Why couldn’t you make it to my party? Why did you think it was okay to just show up here like nothing had happened?” Alfred demanded. 

Francis opened his mouth to speak again, but stopped short when he realized that he had nothing to say. He had no explanation for anything that had happened. He wracked his brain for answers to all of these questions, but he could find nothing. He couldn’t remember a single thing he had done in the past two months, let alone the reasons why he hadn’t talked to anyone, or why he had ignored information about Alfred’s Christmas party, or how he even got into Alfred’s apartment tonight in the first place. Everything prior to his and Alfred’s awkward kiss was gone. 

“I don’t… I-I can’t explain, Alfred, I… I don’t remember…” 

His voice trembled as he spoke. The words were nothing but a whisper. Alfred’s expression even seemed to soften when he saw that there were tears forming in Francis’ eyes. But ultimately, Francis’ defeated image changed nothing in Alfred’s mind. 

“That’s great, Francis. But don’t talk to me again until you do.” 

Alfred stood up from the couch without another word and left the living room. Francis didn’t watch Alfred leave, but he could hear the footsteps going down the hall, and the door slam that followed them. Francis didn’t move from his spot on the couch. While Arthur and Matthew were still outside, and Alfred was stewing in his room, Francis buried his face in his hands and let out a soft sob as he tried desperately to grasp at the memories that for some reason had left him. 

\---

The tension in the atmosphere had not cleared by the morning. Francis had fallen asleep on the couch the night before, and Alfred was still clearly angry with him when he woke up. The contempt that Alfred held for Francis at the moment was so bad that Matthew alone took Francis and Arthur to the airport the next day, and Alfred did not even say goodbye to Francis before they left. 

The ride to the airport was silent. Francis sat in the back of the car by himself while Matthew drove, and Arthur sat in the front passenger seat. Both of them could tell that Francis was desperately sorry for what had happened and that he was kicking himself over it, and Matthew made a silent promise to himself that he was going to have words when Alfred after he had dropped Arthur and Francis off at the airport. 

Once they had reached the airport, Matthew helped Arthur and Francis unload their bags from the car and said goodbye to the both of them. Arthur and Matthew embraced each other tightly, and Matthew hugged Francis and kissed his temple lightly, though he did not receive much of a response back. Matthew sighed faintly and smiled sadly at Arthur. 

“Try to snap him out of it, will you?” he whispered, patting Arthur’s shoulder briefly. 

“I’ll do my best,” Arthur promised, picking up not only his, but Francis’ suitcase as well.

“I love you guys. Have a safe flight, okay?” Matthew asked as he walked around to the other side of his car and got into it again.

“I love you too, Matthew. Thank you, I’m sure we will,” Arthur replied.

“I love you too, Matthew. I’m sorry,” Francis murmured before biting his lip. 

Matthew gave one last sad smile to the both of them before starting his car and pulling away from the curb where he had dropped Francis and Arthur off. Once Matthew was gone, Arthur began walking towards the entrance of the airport. He tilted his head in motion for Francis to follow him. 

“Come on, we best be off, love.” 

Francis followed Arthur into the airport. They went through security and bag check together and ended up with flights whose gates were right across the hall from one another. As Francis sat down to wait for his flight, Arthur decided to sit with him until boarding time, since Francis’ flight would leave before his own. Eventually Arthur couldn’t take the silence anymore, and decided to try and make good on the promise that he had made to Matthew earlier. 

“Hey, chin up, Francis. You know Alfred won’t be mad at you forever. Chances are he’ll be crying into Matthew’s shoulder later because he didn’t say goodbye when you left,” he said, looking at Francis with a somewhat playful expression. 

“He has a right to hate me if he wishes. I can’t even give him an explanation for anything that happened. Why should he forgive me if I can’t even tell him why I abandoned him?” Francis asked.

Arthur furrowed his brows. “What do you mean you can’t give him an explanation? What happened? Why did you miss the party, anyways?” he asked.

“I don’t _know,_ Arthur. I can’t remember,” Francis replied, seeming highly annoyed with the question. 

“What do you mean you can’t remember?” Arthur persisted, at this point seeming just and confused and frustrated as Francis was. 

“I mean I can’t fucking remember, okay!? I just can’t. I don’t remember a goddamn thing that’s happened since before last night so I have no clue why I missed the party or why I haven’t spoken to anyone in two months or how I even got to Alfred’s apartment last night in the first place. I can’t remember a goddamn thing and that’s why I can’t give Alfred an explanation, and that’s why he’s never going to forgive me!” Francis snapped. 

Arthur was taken aback, and had a hard time processing everything that Francis was saying. Francis had no memories of anything prior to their New Year’s celebration last night? If that was true, then that was something that was definitely not normal. Arthur was worried for Francis, and he needed to help Francis find a way to figure this out. 

However, before Arthur could say anything more, the flight attendant called for Francis’ plane to start boarding. Francis stood up as soon as he heard the lady start speaking, without so much as a glance towards Arthur. He straightened his clothes out and gave a brief wave to his companion before beginning to walk towards the gate. 

Arthur started sputtering, quickly standing up and following Francis while trying to get a coherent sentence out of his mouth. “Now wait a second, Francis- Francis this is something we need to talk about, come back here-!”

“I don’t have time to talk, Arthur, I have to board my flight,” Francis said dismissively.

“No, Francis, you can’t go anywhere this is serious! You could be losing your mind or something, doesn’t that worry you!?” Arthur demanded, grabbing a hold of Francis’ arm to hold him back.

Francis stopped walking and turned to face Arthur. “Of course it does. But I can’t worry about that now. I have to go. I can’t stay here any longer,” he said, and removed Arthur’s hand from his arm.

“What- Francis, come back here! Francis you have to talk to me, you can’t just leave like this-!”

“Telephone me when you get back home if you still want to talk, Arthur. Until then, this is goodbye,” Francis told him, and before Arthur could say anything else, Francis slipped through the gate and boarded his plane. 

Arthur watched Francis leave, holding his hand out as if to grasp Francis’ arm again, though it was no longer within his reach. He stepped back as a swarm of people began pushing past him to get onto the plane, and he fell back into an unoccupied chair. He ran a hand through his hair and stared desperately at the gate as he quickly became consumed with worry for his friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that I haven't updated in so long guys ;; School has been kicking my ass, as usual, but I finished the semester last week and plan on finishing this fic by the end of the month. 
> 
> That being said, this fic is admittedly taking a much darker turn than I had originally intended. Hope it keeps you on your toes ;)


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